Woman dies after truck hits guardrail, flips on US 77

FORDTRAN - A woman was killed and a man injured Friday afternoon in a one-truck wreck on U.S. Highway 77 near the Victoria County line.

The two, who are related, were traveling south with another car of three relatives, who were behind them and saw the wreck occur.

Department of Public Safety officials were unable to determine the identities or their relationship at the scene. The other family members, including an infant, left shortly after the man was airlifted to a Corpus Christi hospital to follow him to the hospital.

It is unknown who was driving the late model Ford pickup truck when it crashed into a wooden post and tore through about 40 feet of a metal extruder, but law enforcement officials suspect the driver may have fallen asleep.

"There were no skid marks on the road, indicating the driver may have fallen asleep behind the wheel," Ledbetter said.

The truck overturned, throwing contents across the highway and median.

The family was moving to Texas from Minnesota, Ledbetter said.

Victoria Fire Department Battalion Chief Shannon Martin said the man may have been able to crawl out of the truck after impact, as he was discovered on the grass median when fire officials arrived.

The woman was trapped inside the vehicle for about two hours before fire and law enforcement officials could free her from the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at 1 p.m. by Justice of the Peace Robert Whitaker.